Thursday, October 8, 2009

I had a few bags of lentils in the house, and attempted to make a chicken and lentil stew last week. I really like Indian spices, and thought that if I threw some in the pot I'd get a tasty lentil soup/stew with chicken.

I didn't get soup.

It could have been because I was on the phone, and helping the kids with homework, and frantically folding laundry while I was assembling ingredients and writing down quantities, but it also could just be that I estimated the liquid-to-solid ratio wrong.

The result was not a soup or stew, but instead a tasty and hearty lentil dish with a bit of chicken here and there for some added protein. If you would prefer to omit the chicken and keep this vegetarian, that's perfectly fine. I wouldn't bother to adjust the liquid, but instead keep the lid off of the slow cooker while you set the table. The extra liquid will absorb into the lentils and the steam will evaporate.

We all gobbled this up---which just shows that sometimes your accidental flubs in the kitchen can be a great success!

Use a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker. Rinse the lentils under cold water until it runs clear. Dump into the slow cooker. Add broth and water. Add diced onion and celery. Add all spices, the garlic, and chiles. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours, or on high for about 4. Before serving, remove chicken from the slow cooker, chop it up, and stir back in. Serve over basmati rice with corn tortillas or naan wedges (not gluten free) as scoopers.

The Verdict.

Although I was initially pretty bummed that my soup wasn't a soup, this turned out really tasty, and all of us enjoyed our dinner. The Indian spices were pronounced, but not spicy. Adam added a bit of spice to his with some red chile flakes, but I abstained (to ward off pregnancy heartburn. in case you were wondering. which you probably weren't, but there you go.).

I heated the leftovers up for lunch and my almost-5-year-old and her friend happily ate them.

I set this up on high about 6 hours ago, and the lentils are still pingy and the liquid is not absorbed. I frequently have trouble with things like lentils and black beans not cooking all the way, even after hours and hours. Any suggestions?

This sounds really delicious and I'll keep it in mind. This actually happened to me with another dish (the whole "it's not a soup!" thing) and we all scarfed it up anyway too. :) Sometimes mistakes are a good thing.

where do you live? I'm at sea level, and have beans soften early, but they will take a much longer time in high altitudes. I've heard reports of sometimes needing to double the time. I'd switch your pot over to low, and check every 2 hours or so until they are bite-tender.

The pot on low will eventually heat up to the same temp as high, so putting it on low is just fine.

I've been reading your blog since LONG before the book and love, love, love it. Just when I think you can't possibly come up with another recipe, you do! I want to give you the "One Lovely Blog" Award for the many great ideas and recipes...thanks! Come to http://www.layers-of-learning.blogspot.com to pick it up and post it on your site. Thanks,Karenhttp://www.theexecutivemom.blogspot.com

I was so glad to see this recipe the other day. I had no idea what to make for dinner and I had almost all of the ingredients in the house. I made it and cooked it on high for 4 hours. Everything was cooked and best of all, it was SOUP. I don't know why yours wasn't soup unless you didn't follow your own directions. ; ) Thanks! It was delish.

I made this for dinner last night and it was yummy! Mine was soupy though. I used the extra liquid to cook the rice - so it all turned out ok. Weird that yours wasn't soupy. Thanks for all the great recipes!

Great recipe, I love it when we were trying to do one thing and instead created an even better dish. Thanks for being part of the carnival! Your recipe is perfect, if you could just link to the carnival in your post (I don't think you do? But I could have missed it) that would be wonderful!

Congratulations on the publication of the book. I can't wait to get mine. I'm so sorry to have missed Good Morning America. I just didn't catch up on your blog until today. Thanks again for your terrific ideas.

I made this and we loved it! I confess I tweaked it a bit, because of some comments that said theirs came out soupy, and I didn't want soup. So I reduced the liquid by a cup and a half and added 1/2 c. of brown rice. That took care of any extra liquid, and everything was still cooked beautifully! Yum - thanks very much for posting this!!!!

I made this yesterday and it was my first experience with cooking and eating lentils. I cooked mine for about 8 hours on low and it came out like a thick stew. We ate it with rice and plain yogurt. It was quite tasty though next time I would go for the hotter chilies and add a little more spice. Thanks for another great recipe!

Thirding the spices. We cooked it on high for four hours, and while the lentils were not mush, they still had a little bite to them, and PLENTY of water. (A little tapioca powder thickened it right up though.) However, the spices were very dull; we could only taste cumin. Next time, I'll try some cayenne powder. Still, not bad for my first time eating lentils.

I can't find coriander anywhere- I've tried three stores today! Darn Arkansas... Anyway, do you think I could substitute something else or just leave it out? I noticed that my curry powder has coriander in it. Would that work?

Made this and we both really enjoyed it. I used 4c of chicken stock (reduced sodium/fat free) and 3c of water and it was a little more like a stew, I get a little nervous with lentils they can turn pasty pretty quickly.

I also forgot the garlic, (realized it at work this afternoon--oops) and I used a 4 oz can of jalepenos because that's what I had in the house. It was good--good spice/heat to it. Served over brown rice, this is a keeper.

Okay I realize this is an old post to be leaving a comment on, but I have to say how thankful and refreshed I am that I just stumbled onto your blog! I am a new mom and am really enjoying my slow cooker, but am on a constant lookout for new slow cooker recipes. I recently purchased a few slow cooker books to find they use a lot of processed canned items. I really like that you have allergy references and actually use products I use- even the same brands in most cases. My family's health (and budget) are very important to me and I regularly make things from scratch like my beans, broth, hummus, etc. This site is awesome and just what I was looking for. I will have to go get your book now. CONGRATS!!!

I made this tonight and it came out a bit soupy. Not bad, just not what I expected. I even took the top off for 20 minutes or so, but that didn't firm it up. Scooped over rice, it could be eaten on a plate -- no bowl needed.

We liked it but agreed that it could use a bit more oomph in the spice department. Next time, I will try some of the things suggested in the comments.

For years I thought I did not like lentils. Must have just been the particular dish, as these were good.

This morning was a frantic scramble to get ready for the day. I'd fallen asleep with our oldest last night and didn't make any preps for tonight's supper. At 7:30 this morning, I brought up your site and searched through the chicken recipes. By 8, I'd thrown a bunch of things in the crock pot and we were out the door. I heavily modified it, but this is the recipe we tried. Delish! I even blogged about it... http://rainydayweightloss.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-9th.html

I LOVED this. So delicious. I'll definitely make it again in the future, but I think that next time, I'll add some spinach toward the end to get in some additional veggies. Also - I used a whole can (incl liquid) of JALAPENOS. Wow! Talk about adding some real heat. Might be too spicy for many, but it was perfect for the hubby and I. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

I have this in the crockpot right now and am so excited to try it! My husband is pretty picky but he loves lentils so we'll give it a try! I just wanted to thank you for this amazing website! It has been a real lifesaver for me and i love all the new ideas since im not very creative!

I made this today. I used red lentils, 3 cups of broth, no water, and a grated zucchini, and that was enough liquid/moisture. Didn't have chicken breasts but had some frozen thighs. About 4 1/2 hours on high. It was great! Not soupy, but it definitely would have been if I'd added the extra liquid.

I've beencraving lentils for the past few days, but I was sick of the standard lentil soup and wanted something a bit dfferent. As usual, your lovely blog did not disappoint. I love Indian food so, as soon as this recipe popped up, I was sold. Had everything in the cupboard just finished throwing it together. I'm planning on stiring in some Greek yogurt and using toasted pita squares to eat it on. Thanks again for another winner Steph!

I just made this for my family to eat while I was working. My little ones who are very picky and never eat anything, loved this! I used chicken legs instead and I also used red lentils. There is only a little left for me to eat when I get home. My kids are 21 months (twins) and 2 1/2. This is definitely a keeper!

Hi, just wanted to post and say I made this too, reducing the water by 1 cup and doubling the spices (except salt -- I just added a little bit more there). It was very good. A bit watery, but when served over rice and with pita, it was not a problem at all. I also used fresh parsley and added chopped fresh spinach at the end (several handfuls). The only thing I would do differently next time is to serve it with Greek yogurt (or stir some in), and possibly add some sort of vinegar. It needs a bit more "tang," in my opinion. But I love spice and flavor more than most.

My frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts came out a bit dry, but I think one was pretty old and perhaps had freezer burn. I'd love to know if Stephanie (or others) generally have luck using boneless skinless breasts in their slow-cookers, or if you recommend using dark meat or bone-in meat.

Thanks for a fabulous, fun site and some great recipes. Easy to tweak and make your own.

This was FANTASTIC. I doubled it, and served it on basmati with peas. YUM YUM YUM. With the doubling, it looks like we will have enough to eat all week for us and the 3 kids. Awesomeness, in 10 minutes of prep time.

i think i used to much liquid around 6 cups. it did not work for me. too soupy. no taste but may be it will come together tomorrow. i love your site though.i bought all ingridients though. the coriander was almost 7 bucks.

I made this yesterday with a few changes. I used 4 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups water. I left it on low for 8 hours. When I got home I added a little more salt, a chopped fresh tomato, a lot of hot Jamaican curry powder and some garam masala. Then I topped it off with a little sour cream. It was a delicious stew and was not soupy at all. Thanks for an awesome healthy recipe!!

great recipe and i look forward to putting it on tomorrow morning... one thing about all those people who's lentils weren't cooked. it's the salt. when cooking any bean, but especially the lentil, do not salt during the cooking process. it inhibits the beans ability to absorb water, hence the under cooked lentils. in my experience you can salt towards the end of cooking or just before serving.

This is my favorite recipe on your website. It's comforting and the flavors are interesting. I love Indian food and the spices are so good in this, and I love the hearty chicken with lentils combo. My family all enjoys this. Just wanted to let you know that this has become one of my favorite meals!

I do this (more or less) but use red lentils and one chicken leg (thigh and drumstick). The chicken flavour is better, and they cook devine in there. I do not put the kale in the slow cooker, I rip it up per your instructions and saute with oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and finely diced white onion, flash steamed at the end of saute with a bit of that chicken broth. Then I make a pile on top each serving, and dust with ground cumin. Dal just means beans/pulses/lentils.